At least six people were injured in separate attacks reported from Manipur’s Ukhrul and Kamjong districts on Wednesday and Thursday, with several houses vandalised and set ablaze in villages along the Indo-Myanmar border, officials said.
In the first incident, a villager from Sinakeithei in Ukhrul district sustained multiple bullet injuries after suspected armed militants allegedly opened fire near the Lungter hill range around 1 pm on Wednesday.
According to district police, the injured person was identified as Chipemshang Ruiva (33), who was reportedly working in the village when the firing began.
Personnel of the 6th Manipur Rifles stationed in the area retaliated, leading to an exchange of gunfire. Senior police officials, including the Superintendent of Police, later rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
The injured villager was shifted to the district hospital in Ukhrul for treatment.
In a separate and more extensive attack early Thursday morning, armed militants allegedly targeted three Tangkhul Naga villages — Namlee, Wanglee and Choro — under Kasom Khullen police station in Kamjong district bordering Myanmar.
Police said the attack began around 3.30 am, with the assailants suspected to be Kuki militants operating from across the Indo-Myanmar border. During the violence, at least five villagers sustained injuries, while around 15 houses were attacked, vandalised and set on fire.
The affected villages are located between border pillar numbers 89 and 95 along the Indo-Myanmar border.
Namlee is situated around 50 km from Kasom Khullen police station, while Wanglee lies approximately 18 km away.
Meanwhile, Leishiyo Keishing, MLA of the Naga People’s Front, termed the attacks an “external aggression,” alleging the involvement of Myanmar-based militants belonging to the Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B), allegedly supported by the People’s Defence Force (PDF).
Quoting villagers, Keishing claimed that an Assam Rifles patrol had moved through the area on Wednesday evening prior to the attacks, leading some residents to suspect possible links between security movements and the armed assailants.
However, no official response has been issued regarding the allegation.
Keishing further stated that most of the injured were from the Kuki community and argued that the incident should not be viewed as a communal clash but as a cross-border militant attack. He also said he had written to Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on April 24, seeking deployment of state security forces in the vulnerable border villages following apprehensions of possible attacks.
“At this juncture, Indo-Myanmar border fencing is not the issue; resolving the border dispute should be prioritised by both governments,” the MLA said.
A working committee representing the Tangkhul Naga community also condemned the attacks, alleging that militants linked to KNA-B and backed by the PDF used drones to drop explosives, looted villagers and torched homes.
The committee said the attacks had created panic and insecurity among residents, forcing women, children and elderly villagers to flee into nearby forests, while some people were still reported missing.
According to records of the Kamjong district administration dated May 7, 2024, more than 1,500 refugees from Myanmar were taking shelter in Choro, Namlee and Wanglee villages.
Meanwhile, the Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B), in a separate statement, denied involvement in the attacks on Indian territory.
– Ends
Published By:
Nitish Singh
Published On:
May 8, 2026 01:44 IST
